Here's the final chapter of my SongTower mini-blog . . .
Leave it to the treble percussion instruments (cymbals, high-hats, triangles, bells, etc) to expose the weaknesses of a digital-sourced audio system. CDs have never quite cut it for me. I went through several CD players trying to find one that could do cymbals et al. justice. Not until I moved to computer-based audio (via my battery-powered Red Wine Audio Squeezebox 3 playing files off a hard drive) did I discover reproduction of treble that I could live with over the long term. The SB3 doesn’t quite capture the magic of my old vinyl-based system, but that’s another story. It comes closer than any other digital source I’ve heard.
That said, I presented the Salk SongTowers with a treble challenge: “You’re Vibing Me” from the album “Largo” by pianist Brad Mehldau (with Jorge Rossy on drums and Larry Grenadier on bass).
Produced by Jon Brion (one of my favorite “Midas touch” guys in the studio), this track bursts with well-recorded drum kit. The detail and staging of the crash and splash cymbals is so exquisite, one can almost discern their diameter (or at least their relative size).
But it’s the swish of Rossy’s brushed snare that might be the Waterloo of a tweeter (and crossover). If source, amplifications and speakers aren’t singing in key, the brush strokes sound like so much white noise. The SongTowers, I’m happy to report, were up to the challenge. I heard nothing but the delicate play of wire tips across the taught drum skin.
I’ve owned the SongTowers for three months now, and the high-end response of these speakers consistently brings a smile to my face. Never too bright, never harsh, never thin – just organic and natural sounding.
Now that I’ve covered the bass, midrange and treble performance of the STs: how to tie it all together?
With a track familiar to many audiophiles: Ben Harper’s “Gold To Me” from the album “Fight For Your Mind”. There’s an authenticity to this record that I love. The SongTowers tap into it, and release a wealth of details: a high-hat accent throughout that’s crystal clear and locked into place in the stereo image, triangle strikes that are tiny pure bells, the raw edges of Ben’s voice, the steely tones of his guitar.
The SongTowers respond with aplomb to amplifier power – they don’t shy away from it, they soak it up and give back the force of the music with all of its dynamics. Not a hint of compression as the volume goes up. Even at higher SPLs, the nuances of Ben’s performance ring true. You hear not only the singing, you hear the emotional subtext.
A thought in closing: it gets better than this? These outstanding loudspeakers are the low-end of Jim’s line? It’s hard to imagine what spending twice as much on Salk speakers would deliver. I’m thinking now that with the SongTowers, I’ve taken my source and amp as far as they will go. To appreciate the virtues of Jim’s bigger and more expensive speakers, I’ll need to move up the ladder with those two components.
So be it. In this game, the next upgrade is usually just over the horizon . . .
